The walls have finally closed in on New York City mayor Eric Adams. A five-count federal indictment against Adams, a former police officer who promised to be tough on crime while reforming the police department, is filled with allegations that he received money and luxurious travel from Turkish officials in exchange for favors. The mayor currently faces at least four federal investigations into various kinds of corruption.
The indictment wasn’t totally a shock to New Yorkers — several of his top staff have already resigned. Will he? We don’t know. He remains defiant, as can be seen in the raucous press conference he held with supporters this morning that was occasionally drowned out by protesters calling for him to resign.
Whether he does or not, one thing is clear: New York City’s broad left will have an opportunity to set the narrative of the mayoral election next year, something it failed to do in 2021.
How did New York City end up with Adams, someone who has attacked funding for libraries, schools, and childcare and enabled rent increases for tenants in rent-stabilized housing? A big part of the answer is that the New York City left, which has elected candidates at the federal, state, and local levels, didn’t mobilize adequately for a solidly progressive candidate in 2021. Former Bill de Blasio administration official Maya Wiley had the backing of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), but she failed to build real name recognition. Dianne Morales seemed like a solid progressive until allegations of staff abuse came to light.
The New York City left in 2021 was distracted by other crucial work. It spent much of its energy on the essential task of building up candidates for the state legislature and city council. That work was successful: eight socialists now occupy the state legislature (and a ninth will soon be joining them) and two hold seats in city council. But there…
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Auteur: Ari Paul
